Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India, Wednesday expressed his delight after the Covovax vaccine received approval for application among individuals in the 7+ age group. “We are delighted to receive the approval of our Covovax vaccine for individuals in the 7+ age group. We are now waiting for the CoWin portal and app to accept the same,” Poonawalla said, adding, “That said, everyone over the age of 12 and 18 can now take first and second doses of Covovax, available on the CoWin app and portal.” Along with approving the country's first homegrown mRNA Covid-19 vaccine developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, the Drug Controller General of India also gave the go ahead to Serum Institute's Covid-19 vaccine Covovax for restricted emergency use in children between 7 and 11 years, subject to certain conditions. Here it may be recalled that the drug regulator had also approved Covovax for restricted use in emergency situations in adults on December 28 last year and in the 12-17 years age group subject to certain conditions on March 9 this year. According to SII sources, the DCGI had granted permission for conducting phase 3 clinical trial of Covovax as a booster dose in adults who had been fully vaccinated with either Covaxin or Covishield. Covovax is manufactured by technology transfer from Novavax. In August 2020, US-based vaccine maker Novavax Inc had announced a license agreement with SII for the development and commercialisation of NVX-COV2373, its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in low and middle income countries and in India.
